Johnny Gaudreau was grinning ear-to-ear after Monday’s morning skate at the Saddledome, still beaming after watching the Philadelphia Eagles punch a ticket to the Super Bowl.

The Calgary Flames’ superstar left-winger hails from Carneys Point, N.J., just south of Philadelphia on the opposite side of the Delaware River.

The Eagles stomped the Minnesota Vikings in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, setting a date with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

“Going to school in Boston, the whole school was Pats fans,” said the 24-year-old Gaudreau, who won the Hobey Baker Award with the Boston College Eagles in 2014 before signing with the Flames. “I’d always hear about Tom Brady and the Pats. All of my buddies text me from Boston, always giving me a hard time saying the Pats would never lose to the Eagles. Now we get a shot to prove that.”

Johnny Gaudreau #13 of the Calgary Flames skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on December 6, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Gaudreau made his allegiances clear as the Flames prepared for Monday’s meeting with the Buffalo Sabres, arriving at the rink in all sorts of Eagles garb — a pullover, hat and backpack.

He has a buddy in town from Philadelphia, and they watched Sunday’s pigskin semifinal together. He joked that neighbours in his condo building probably heard him shouting and singing the Eagles fight song.

They’ll probably hear the same in two weeks during the Super Bowl.

“I’m just predicting a win,” Gaudreau said. “I don’t really care about the score. Just a big win.”

A lot of folks are predicting a Flames win Monday over the Sabres.

After all, the boys from Buffalo are tied for dead-last in the NHL’s overall standings. They have lost seven of their past eight contests, including Saturday’s 7-1 thumping from the Dallas Stars.

The Flames, meanwhile, are riding an eight-game point streak, with Saturday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets being the only blemish during that 7-0-1 stretch.

“(The Sabres) are a dangerous team, because they have a lot of weapons and a lot of good players over there,” cautioned Flames captain Mark Giordano. “For us, we just have to look at the standings. You know how important the two points are every night. Teams get points around us every night, so we have to keep pace, we have to keep moving forward and get points when we can.”

Buffalo Sabres at Calgary Flames

7 p.m., Saddledome, TV: Sportsnet West, Radio: Sportsnet 960 The Fan

THE BIG MATCHUP

Calgary Flames Sam Bennett during NHL pre-season hockey at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Friday, September 22, 2017.

Flames LW Sam Bennett vs. Sabres RW Sam Reinhart

They were both billed as potential first-overall selections in the 2014 NHL Draft. So far, neither Sam has achieved star status. The Florida Panthers called Aaron Ekblad’s name at No. 1 that summer, the Sabres snagged Reinhart with the next holler and the Flames welcomed Bennett at fourth-overall, making him the highest pick in franchise history. There are plenty of similarities these days. Both are skating mostly as third-liners. Both are working the wing. The 21-year-old Bennett has 17 points this season, while Reinhart — now 22 — has 16 scoresheet mentions so far.

FIVE STORYLINES

1. HERE COMES JOHNNY (THE OTHER ONE)

There will be a familiar face between the pipes for the opposition. Monday marks the return of Calgary-raised netminder Chad Johnson, now in his second stint with the Sabres. Johnson lived out a childhood dream with his hometown team last winter and there were chats about an extension, but he was ultimately included in the swap for Mike Smith and eventually signed in Buffalo. The 31-year-old backup has a scary stat-line this season — a 3.85 goals-against average, an .878 save percentage and a dreadful 1-8-3 record in a dozen decisions.

2. SURGING FLAMES

The hosts will be shooting to start a new streak and to keep another alive. The Flames’ seven-game win spree was snapped in Saturday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Jets, but they’ve still collected at least a point in eight straight dates. Their record at the Saddledome remains a cause for concern — at 12-11-1 in their own barn, they have the most mediocre home mark of any squad sitting in a playoff spot in the NHL’s Western Conference.

3. STRUGGLING SABRES

It’s been another miserable season for the Sabres. They were smoked in their last contest — Saturday’s 7-1 drubbing from the Stars — and with only 31 points, are sharing the basement in the NHL’s overall standings with the Arizona Coyotes. The Sabres are averaging a league-low 2.24 goals per game. On a positive note, star centre Jack Eichel is riding a five-game point streak, with three goals and six helpers during that stretch.

4. MORE BAD NEWS FOR BUFFALO

The Sabres don’t have a lot of fond memories at the Saddledome, either. The boys from Buffalo have suffered seven consecutive losses in Calgary. Their last victory? Way back on Oct. 18, 2003. Mika Noronen pitched a 20-save shutout that night for the out-of-town team, while Ales Kotalik — Flames fans probably don’t want to be reminded of that name — scored the would-be winner just 93 seconds after the opening faceoff.

5. REMEMBERING JOHANNSON

The hockey world was stunned Sunday by the death of USA Hockey executive Jim Johannson, a member of the American management team for the past four Olympic tournaments and the architect of their team for the upcoming Winter Games in Pyeongchang. In a statement, Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke called Johannson’s passing “a tremendous loss to both USA Hockey and the hockey family, in general. Jim had an incredible devotion to the cause and will be deeply missed by us all.” Johannson, also a two-time Olympian during his playing days, was only 53.

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